By: Express Web DeskNew Delhi | December 16, 2025 08:12 PM IST 4 min readBefore being named India Country Director, Vyas served as the Global Director for the foundation’s Global Policy and Advocacy division, leading work across Growth, Opportunity and Empowerment. (Special Arrangement)The Gates Foundation has appointed Archna Vyas its Country Director for India. Vyas will lead the foundation’s work in close collaboration with the central and state governments, philanthropists, civil society, academia, and the private sector to advance the foundation’s priorities in India, “aligned with the Government of India’s vision of Viksit Bharat,” said a press statement released on Tuesday, December 16.The foundation began its India operations in 2003 and now works in various sectors from healthcare and sanitation to gender equality, agricultural development, digital public infrastructure, education, and financial empowerment.Before being named India Country Director, Vyas served as the Global Director for the foundation’s Global Policy and Advocacy division, leading work across Growth, Opportunity and Empowerment.She has experience handling country-level and global engagements where her role required her to focus on strategic policy efforts, high-impact partnerships, and external communications across key development priorities, including digital public infrastructure, agricultural development, sanitation, nutrition, global education, and women’s economic empowerment. Vyas joined the foundation in 2014 and worked across the foundation’s health and poverty alleviation portfolio to drive impact across the country, the release said.Vyas boasts of corporate experience, having led communications and digital marketing across South and Southeast Asia for Reckitt before joining the foundation. She supported the MENA markets for Reckitt and held senior positions in lead marketing and advertising organisations. What came in handy was her master’s degree in physics from the University of Delhi and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from Institute of Management Technology.Vyas reacted to her appointment, expressing a desire to work closely to help India become a developed economy by 2047. “India is our most significant country partnership, and her domestically driven model of innovation and progress shows how sustainable, transformative change can uplift millions. The strength of India’s talent and intellect, spanning world-class research, science, and technology, has made the country a global engine of R&D and innovation. Solutions pioneered here are already shaping development outcomes far beyond India’s borders. I look forward to working closely with governments, communities, philanthropists, and our partners to support the Government of India’s vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047, and to help bring India’s insights and innovations to the world,” she said.Gates Foundation‘s Chief Strategy Officer Ankur Vora highlighted that Vyas will be the first woman to lead the India office.Story continues below this ad“Archna brings a deep understanding of India’s development and innovation landscape and a demonstrated record of building partnerships that deliver impactful results. As the first woman to lead the India Office, we are delighted to have her at the helm at such a pivotal moment in India’s growth and global leadership journey. Her appointment comes as India’s dynamic innovation ecosystem continues to generate solutions with global relevance, deepening a partnership with the Gates Foundation that has grown over more than two decades.” Vyas said in a statement.Vyas succeeds Hari Menon, who has led the foundation’s India Country Office since 2019 and will transition to a global leadership role from January 2026.Gates Foundation works in developing countries with partners “to create solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential”. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and its governing board. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd